Utility service trucks, particularly those used for telephones, carry quantities of wire which are coiled on spools and payed out in the lengths required by mechanical payoff equipment. The spools generally carry a large quantity of wire and are heavy; and the payoff equipment is also heavy.
In order to reduce the size and operating cost of service trucks, this invention provides means for supplying the necessary wire from smaller and inexpensive spools from which the wire can be payed out without removing the spool from its shipping carton and without having any payout equipment, such as has to be used with heavy spools.
This invention provides a spool which can be constructed from corrugated paperboard by a novel arrangement of parts; and the spool is shipped in a special carton, which can also be made of corrugated paperboard, and which has provision for convenient payout of the wire without removing the spool from the carton.
Features of the invention include the special construction of the spool and carton; provision for holding the end of the wire for convenient handling and, at the same time, adequate sealing against tampering before the carton is opened for use; low friction of the spool as it rotates in the carton during payout of wire; convenient rewinding of wire on the spool of any excess wire payed out from the carton; and inspection openings through which the amount of wire remaining on the spool as the spool rotates while the wire is paying out, can be determined.
Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be pointed out as the description proceeds.